Golden Diner
Diner · Golden ·
Updated classics like matcha coffee cake and crispy chip tuna melts
Updated classics like matcha coffee cake and crispy chip tuna melts
"At the Lower East Side spot run by Sam Yoo, pancakes draw on personal heritage and snack culture: Yoo took cues from salty South Korean honey-butter chips to create a salty-sweet spin. Pancakes like his — and those at the other places described here — show that the American breakfast staple can benefit from bold upgrades and cultural riffs." - Bettina Makalintal
"I see the Welcome to Chinatown Lunar New Year series also includes additional events at Golden Diner." - Emma Orlow
"At the Lower East Side Golden Diner, chef and co-owner Samuel Yoo says he prepared the dining room (which will seat eight people under the restrictions) but is waiting for more of his staff to get vaccinated and for greater comfort among his team before reopening; he remains cautiously optimistic and is taking the decision day by day." - Tanay Warerkar
"Chef Sam Yoo’s home fries are exceedingly crispy—audibly crunching on each bite—while maintaining a buttery, soft interior, a sensation the writer compares to eating a potato chip and a spoonful of mashed potatoes at once. Served on a breakfast plate with two fried eggs and well-buttered toast and even layered into a scallion milk-bun breakfast sandwich, they’re essentially chopped-up French fries (or flat hash-brown cakes) made from Idaho potatoes. The preparation is multi-day and painstaking: potatoes are shredded, rinsed three times, brined in a salt-vinegar solution to break down the flesh and add a slight tang (“helps it taste more like a McDonald’s hash brown,” Yoo says), steamed, pressed into trays and weighted overnight so the starches bind into cakes, then portioned, deep-fried, and chopped to achieve that perfect crunch. Because of this meticulous method, the result is superior home fries that the author recommends lining up for rather than trying to replicate at home." - BySarah Jampel
"I found much to delight in at Golden Diner on the Lower East Side, especially the vegan grilled cheese with “buoyant ooze” and the vegan Caesar salad, which is described as “exceptionally satisfying.”" - Stefanie Tuder